Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the discussion. There are two issues. When a family has to make a decision about putting an elderly relative or other family member who requires full-time care into a nursing home, it is a very considerable and fundamental one. This has been debated many times since the fair deal scheme was introduced. By and large, the scheme has worked extremely well. The issue, however, is the calculation of the value of a family farm or business in the wrong manner. This has been demonstrated time and again. Owing to the draconian means of calculation, people with small businesses or family farms are making detrimental decisions for their loved ones in order that their business or job may survive. Anybody depending on an asset such as a farm for a job regards entering the scheme as a retrograde step.

By and large, the scheme has worked very well but we have encountered some issues concerning the preparation of the balancing statements associated with the estates of persons who did not gain the full amount under the fair deal scheme. This needs to be examined. We need to move away from calculations taking into account the value of farms and ensure there is a speedy resolution of any issues involved concerning the estate of someone who passes away.

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